10 of the best motorcycles for big wheelies

If you like to hoik the front at any given opportunity, then these bikes are for you

Wheelies: they're not big and they're not clever but they are a lot of fun.

My first bike was a TZR125 and on asking if I could wheelie it, a friend said to me: 'If it's got two wheels, it'll wheelie'.

That's a mantra I've enjoyed testing out for the last decade. For the large part, he was right.

In my 10 years of riding, I've ridden over 200 different motorcycles and almost all of them have had their front wheel aloft. Power isn't a straight route to wheelies, although it does help. Some bikes have the motor to wheelie almost anytime, any place but don't feel at home on the back wheel. So this is my pick of the best bikes for big wheelies: the bikes that appear to have had it factored into their design brief and the ones that flatter even the most ham-fisted attempts to hoist the front.

Suzuki Bandit 1200

Suzuki Bandit 1200

Allegedly, some engine parts of Suzuki's Bandit 12 have been found on Tony Robinson's Time Team digs, they're that old. The Bandit 12 or 1250 models have a turbine-like power delivery with loads of predictable power, right from the moment you get rolling. They've got enough grunt to reel the front back up if it's on its way down. Clutch it up in 2nd gear and march straight up to 4th and you'll soon be looking for a longer stretch of road.

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Ducati Monster S2R 800

Ducati Monster S2R 800

It may only produce 76bhp and 54ftlb of torque, but the peppy little 2-valve Monster 800 is a peach to wheelie. It doesn't have the brutal power of the S4R RS or the torque of a Monster 1100 EVO but the mid-range Monster has more than enough stomp to hoist the front in 2nd and go all the way-through the 'box. Its fuel-injection is way smoother than earlier models like the S4R, making it easy to dial in precise throttle. Infact it's the first bike I ever hooked top gear on. Result.

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Aprilia Tuono

Aprilia Tuono

All Tuonos love to wheelie. Fact. However, I prefer the first generations over the later models and the standard versions over the Factory versions. The Factory versions have lightweight wheels, a touch more power but a much more aggressive delivery. They're really sharp and just a touch of throttle at the wrong time can be enough to have you past the balance point and scrabbling for the rear brake. The later standard Tuonos have also got razor-sharp fuelling, which can punish you if you're a bit too eager on the gas. Grab an early model, get it into 2nd and work that clutch.

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KTM Duke

KTM Duke

It wasn't going to be long before a single-cylinder bike or a KTM made an appearance in this Top 10 and here we have a perfect combination of the two. While the KTM Duke gets abuse from the hardcore supermoto fans for being 'fat' it's a great wheelie tool and a proper good laugh on the road. The original 620 Duke wheelied its way onto the scene in 1993 and since them, every version has been a great combination of out-of-the-box madness for road-riding fun. If you like your wheelies longer and slower, then swing your leg over a Duke.

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Honda Fireblade

Honda Fireblade

I've steered clear of superbikes for this Top 10, because even though they're prime for wheelies, you often find yourself putting the front wheel down well in excess of 100mph. Faired bikes are vunerable to crosswinds and it only takes one 120mph+ tankslapper to make you realise that fast wheelies can go wrong very quickly. The latest Fireblade is one of the best sportsbikes for lengthy monowheel action. It's grunty, stable and has impeccable fuelling. Just don't get carried away...

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Suzuki SV650

Suzuki SV650

It's the naked SV650's lack of fairing and wide bars that make it by far one of the easiest bikes to wheelie for long distances and one of the best bikes to learn on too. The little Suzuki is well built and that engine will take all kinds of abuse and still be up for more. The lack of weight infront of you makes them easy to shift from left to right to adjust your line and if you can nail wheelies on the SV, you'll have the throttle finesse to master any bike.

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Ducati Hypermotard 1100 EVO SP

Ducati Hypermotard 1100 EVO SP

Yes, all Hypermotards like to wheelie, but the latest iteration, the EVO SP is by far the best. The pic on the left is the only one of me in the whole feature. The bike in question had a Ducati Corse ECU and a Termignoni pipe, other than that, it was standard. The old-school air-cooled engine has a wealth of torque and it's characteristics offer a much smoother delivery than say, the Tuono Factory, making it easy to make adjustments as you go. The EVO SP eats up straights on the back wheel. The only thing I'd watch out for is oil starvation problems..

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Husqvarna SMR510

Husqvarna SMR510

It's about time we had a proper supermoto in here and the Husqvarna SMR510 is my number one choice. When I first rode this bike I was petrified; it's such an angry little bastard and unforigiving too. I spent the first few hours feeling like I had forgotten how to wheelie as it either wanted to spit me off the back or not play ball at all. It was hard to find a happy medium, but after a couple of days I spent a majority of my time on the back wheel. The Husky is so sharp and direct that your throttle control needs to have the precision of a Michelin-starred chef wielding a knife within millimetres of his digits. Not a good bike to learn on but a fantastic bike to master.

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Suzuki TL1000S

Suzuki TL1000S

The TL1000s never got on well with corners, it's real strength was demolishing straights and given a bit of encouragement, it'll do them on the back wheel, all day long. The motor might only produce 120bhp but its big fat wedge of torque means you can clutch it up from anywhere in 2nd and march straight into top. If you stick to 3rd gear, you can raise and lower the front off the throttle, something other bikes find hard to do. If you're not that good at wheelies, go and buy a TL1000s, you'll soon learn.

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Triumph Speed Triple 1050

Triumph Speed Triple 1050

My favourite bike for big wheelies. It's not the most powerful, it's not the lightest, but that 1050-triple blends the low-down grunt of a v-twin with the smoothness of an inline-four. All Speed Triples are good for this sort of thing but the latest model's engine is so smooth in the mid-range, making lengthy jaunts on the back wheel almost too easy. I would have put the smaller-engined Street Triple in here, but the Speed Triple has the added bonus that with just a ping of the clutch in the right place, you can turn a slight crest or a dip into a stylish mono. Your riding buddies will be jealous...

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